On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that his country stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). South China Sea: China Coast Guard drives away intruding Philippine vessels at Huangyan DaoAccording to a CCG spokesperson, on July 23, two Philippine official vessels ignored repeated dissuasion and warnings from China and forcibly intruded into China’s jurisdictional waters… pic.twitter.com/MJrFfypjAy — CGTN Frontline (@Frontlinestory) July 23, 2026Conclusion of Consultations on Code of Conduct in South China Sea Conducive to PeaceOn the South China Sea, Wang described it as a shared home for regional countries. He said South China Sea issues should not become a stumbling block to China-ASEAN relations. Wang said China stands ready to work with ASEAN to remove disruptive factors, accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, jointly foster a new narrative of peace, stability, cooperation, and friendship in the South China Sea, and keep the initiative on South China Sea issues firmly in the hands of regional countries. Kao noted that ASEAN endorses the “dual-track approach,” supports acceleration of consultations on the COC, and strives to turn the South China Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship.